Potato, cheese and apple pinwheels
Fruit with cheese makes for the perfect pairing. Whether it’s the classic bunch of grapes, luscious fresh figs or perhaps some dried apricots or dates to grace the best cheeseboards. At Christmas, a slice of cheese served with fruitcake is a Yorkshire tradition that dates back to Victorian times. And in Lincolnshire, they serve their delicious plum bread with Lincolnshire Poacher, a full-flavoured hard cheese that is matured for about 14-16 months.
These quick and simple pastry pinwheels combine potatoes, stewed apples and creamy Swaledale cheese. This recipe works well as a simple supper and can also make a quick and delicious dish to serve as a canapés at a party. You can prepare the filling in advance and stick the pinwheels in the oven when your guests arrive.
The beauty of this recipe is you can swap out any of the ingredients to suit your own tastes or to use up any leftovers in your fridge. I used Swaledale Traditional cheese because of its creamy and buttery taste and its crumbly texture, which melts into the potatoes and pastry. Any other crumbly cheese such as Lancashire, Wensleydale, Caerphilly or a mature Cheddar would also work well.
You could add other vegetables, such as mushrooms or peas, or meat like crumbled sausage or thinly sliced chorizo. Adding some spices, such as ground cumin, ground coriander and curry powder, to the mixture would work well. You could also sprinkle the top of the pinwheels with poppy seeds, onion seeds or dried herbs before baking.
Potato, cheese and apple pinwheels
Ingredients
- 5 medium sized potatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g butter
- 2 brown onions, thinly sliced
- 250 g stewed apples
- Sprig of thyme, leaves removed
- Sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
- 250 g cheese, grated (I used Swaledale Traditional)
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten (to glaze)
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in their skins (this helps to keep their flavour) for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly before removing the skins with a sharp knife or potato peeler and roughly chop them into small chunks.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the chopped potatoes, stewed apple, thyme leaves, rosemary and grated cheese and heat gently for a few minutes until everything is combined and warmed through.
- Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
- Unroll the puff pastry sheet onto a clean surface dusted lightly with flour. Spread the potato, apple and grated cheese mixture evenly over the pastry. Starting at one of the shorter ends, roll the pastry back up as tightly as possible. Place it back in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the roll of pastry from the fridge and cut into about 12 even sized slices. Place the slices flat side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush all over with egg wash.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up, golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before serving.